When the leaves start to change, most of us think about football, the snow that’s coming right behind it, and the holidays. However, before you start thinking about all of those fun weekends and the family coming in town to sit around your fireplace, you’ll want to take care of a little maintenance to ensure that your home isn’t just cozy, but it’s safe as well. Here are a few tips to help you prevent fires this fall so that you can relax and enjoy the season ahead.
#1: Clean Out Your Gutters and Mind Your Leaves
There are some fall seasons when we get plenty of rain to keep fires at bay. However, when there is a dry patch, then you’ll want to be sure things like gutters and leaves are removed and placed far from your home. When you light a fire in your chimney, then you’ll want to be sure that any embers that escape don’t land on a dry leaves that are left around your home and in your gutters.
#2: Let the Pro Chimney Sweeps Do Their Job
Now is the perfect time to call in a pro chimney sweep to clean your fireplace and ensure that you’re ready to light those logs. You want to do this before the season is in full swing, but if you don’t get it done in time, then call as soon as your realize you need to have your chimney swept. The professionals will be quick and clean when they come to sweep your chimney, and you’ll be surprised at how affordable they are. There are many preventable house fires that happen each year because of the build up in the chimney, and the experts will remove all of the particles that can cause a threat to your home and family.
#3: Teach Your Family Fire Safety Tips
Preventing fires is a group effort when you live with multiple people in the house, and everyone should be on the same page when it comes to prevention methods. Getting your chimney swept and gutters cleaned is a good start, but you’ll also need to make sure that everyone understands how important it is to unplug items like curling irons and space heaters. You’ll also want to ensure that your whole family is educated on how to use fire extinguishers and that they don’t put too many plugs in a circuit. Plus, you’ll want to incorporate an emergency plan in case a fire does occur that everyone practices to keep it fresh on the mind.
#4: Check Your Dryer Vents
Dryer vents can easily get clogged and the material is extremely flammable, so be mindful of this spot of your home. Check and clean them often, and if you aren’t sure exactly what to look for ask a fire prevention specialist. If you want more tips on how to prevent fires, talk to your pro chimney sweep about what you can do around the house.
